It’s safe to say many people dread chores. The word itself implies that whatever the task at hand, it’s probably not all that fun. Unsurprisingly, over 50% of Americans surveyed by Cinch Home Services felt guilty for putting off chores, specifically ones that involved cleaning.
While most people do feel some level of satisfaction once they’re finished cleaning, it’s pretty clear that there’s not much enjoyment involved in the actual cleaning process, at least for Americans. We do chores for one reason: to get them done.
But what if there was a way to change our get-it-done mentality? In Swedish culture, community members take part in a cleaning method called “städdag” on a weekly basis — and they don’t seem to hate it.
What is städdag?
In Sweden, städdag is “cleaning day,” which usually takes place on Saturdays. According to Susanna Heiskanen of The Nordic Mum, städdag is all about gathering together to tidy up.
“This is a designated day to clean your common areas — like a community in a housing complex, where neighbors all come together to clean and maintain shared spaces. At home, Saturday could be the day to clean your bathrooms and bedrooms with all of your family members. This could be indoor or outdoor cleaning, like raking leaves or sweeping courtyards or tidying storage areas,” she says.
What are the benefits?
Americans are often on the hunt for all sorts of cleaning hacks that might make the process even just a bit less dreadful — just take the millions of posts filed under TikTok’s #CleanTok hashtag. People are always looking for ways to make cleaning faster and easier.
But what if instead of focusing on hacks, we paid attention to changing our mindset? Städdag is more of a social experience than some terrible activity you’re forced to do. Everyone chips in, and most have fun somewhere along the process.
“It creates a community feeling and encourages people to bond over areas that they all use. You get to know your neighbors,” says Heiskanen. “It’s seen as a social tradition to attend städdag.”
Get all your cleaning done and catch up with friends and family? It sure sounds a lot better than frantically whipping out the vacuum alone just to complete the chore as fast as you can.
How to take part in städdag
If you live in a one-family home, simply round up your family members on Saturday to clean the bathrooms, kitchen, bedrooms and any other spaces. If you live alone in an apartment building or complex, you can still take part by gathering other community members and cleaning up spaces everyone uses, both indoors or outdoors. You might even meet some new friends along the way.
“There’s no better way to bond with your community than over making your shared areas look good,” says Heiskanen.
Laura Millar (she/her) is the assistant lifestyle editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers home design. Prior to joining Good Housekeeping in 2024, she wrote for NBC’s TODAY.com, where she covered everything from entertainment news to pop culture updates.
